Snapchat introduces 60-secs video feed ” Spotlight” in 11 nations

Snapchat has launched its vertically scrollable video section “Spotlight” in 11 nations where users are able to view videos posted by other uses. The spotlight will have its own dedicated tab in the app and will feature videos, with background music, up to 60 seconds. Snaps from private accounts will be featured in an unattributed manner.

Snapchat launches a TikTok-like feed created by paying creators showcasing the community’s creative efforts including Denmark, Germany, France.

Spotlight can feature Snaps from users with both private or public accounts and can be sent to Spotlight directly or posted to Our Story. The Company says the Snaps from the private accounts will be featured in an unattributed fashion with only credit line to the content, Users who are over 18 can opt into public profiles in order to have their names displayed, which allows them to build a following.  

Evan Spiegel, co-founder, and CEO explains  Spotlight is a different setup than TikTok and gives Snapchat a way to avoid the much larger hassle of handling comment moderation.

However, the company says all Snaps that appear on the new feed will have to adhere to Snapchat’s Community Guidelines, which prohibits the spread of false information ( including conspiracy theories), misleading content, hate speech, explicit or profane content, bullying, harassment, violence, and other toxic content. The Snaps must also adhere to Snapchat’s new Spotlight Guidelines, Terms of Service, and Spotlight Terms.

As an incentive to encourage users to publish to Spotlight, the company will distribute more than US$1million every day to Snapchat users (16 and up who create the top Snaps on Spotlight and will continue through the end of 2020. The company says it expects many users to earn money from this fund each day, but those with the most views will earn more than others,  with a warning that it will also monitor this feed for fraud.

Snapchat is now looking to leverage more than 4 billion snaps created by its users every day to power the new Spotlight feed.